Coconut Limeade for Adults

This limeade recipe is just a respectable vehicle for drinking Malibu rum and using my fancy glass swizzle sticks.    Not a problem.     This past week, the weather has gotten warmer and drier here on the west side of Maui.   Since it's always 5 O'Clock somewhere, and here in paradise, it seems like if you're not working, it's happy hour at any hour, I'm enjoying bringing this limeade into rotation.   I've sipped it on the lanai as well as taking it on the road to drink at the beach.

What You Need

Per cocktail:

1 shot of Malibu Coconut Rum

1 shot of lime juice (bottled or fresh, your call)

1/2 cup of coconut water

1 cup of club soda  

What You Do

Pour all ingredients into a tall glass (pint glasses work well).    Add ice to fill.   Stir.   Garnish with a flower from your garden or a wedge of lime.     If you want a berry limeade feel, add some muddled strawberries or raspberries.   

Simple.  Cool.  Refreshing.

Cheers to a long hot summer!

Baking It Old School: Oatmeal Carmelitas

After spending the day at the Maui Onion Festival , it's time to think about sweets!  (again)

In an almost endless world of cooking shows, food blogs and cookbooks, everything can seem new and cutting edge.    You can look at a recipe and think "where will I find those ingredients?" or "what the heck is _______ (kitchen gadget of your choice)?"     So this an "old school" recipe.   Something with simple ingredients that tastes great.     This recipe for oatmeal carmelitas was submitted in the Pillsbury Bake-off back in 1967.    

What You Need

Crust

2 cups flour

2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1  teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

Filling

1 cup caramel ice cream topping

3 tablespoons flour 

1 cup dark chocolate chips (your choice of chips)

1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts (your choice of nuts)

What You Do

Line a 9x12 pan with foil coated with cooking spray.   Preheat the oven to 350.   

In a large bowl combine all the crust ingredients and blend at low speed until crumbly.      Press half of the crust mixture (3 cups) to the bottom of the pan.     Reserve the rest for later.    Bake the crust at 350 for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, combine the caramel topping and the flour in a small bowl.    

When the 10 minutes is up, remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle with the chocolate chips and peanuts.   Drizzle the caramel/flour mixture over the top of the chocolate and nuts.    Crumble the remaining crust over the caramel layer.     

Put the bars back in the oven and bake for an additional 22 minute until golden brown.   Cool and then refrigerate until the filling is set (although they are delicious if you choose to jump the gun and cut them early....I might have done this).  

Another old school recipe you might like:   Blueberry Buckle